THURSDAY: Mostly sunny with near record warmth and breezy. Highs: 76 to 80 inland, 66 to 70 beaches. Southwest wind 10 to 20 mph.

THURSDAY NIGHT Increasing clouds, breezy and unseasonably warm. Lows: 58 to 62 inland, 60 to 64 beaches. Southwest wind 15 to 20 mph.

FRIDAY: Variably cloudy with scattered PM showers, some could contain gusty winds. Highs: 72 to 76 inland, 64 to 68 beaches. Southwest wind 15 to 25 mph.

Discussion: Fantastic late February temperatures will be with us for the end of this week. Along the way we may flirt with record high temperatures Today. Southwesterly winds and mainly sunny skies will put us in that record high territory. I think we will fall just a couple of degrees short of the official records which are 79, 80, and 81 for Kinston, Greenville, and New Bern respectively. Another strong storm will pull out of the deep south by Friday bringing us more rain. Depending on the timing of this system, we could possibly experience some severe weather as it move eastward Friday afternoon. This is something I will continue to track and alert you to should I feel severe weather damage is possible. We will clear out and cool down for the weekend, but only to near normal for temperatures.